This course examines the evolution of state and society in the contemporary Middle East against the backdrop of the dynamics of relationships between oil, Islam, foreign intervention, domestic strife and intra-state conflict. The course is thematic in its approach and selective in its use of major events to illustrate its coverage. It emphasises the theme of change, continuity and conflict in the political, social and economic transformation of the region.

1. Course participants will learn and analyse the complexity of political life in the Middle East, with specific focus on Islam, oil, outside interventions and conflicts.

2. Participants will develop the necessary skills to analyse and judge for themselves the linkages that may exist between the various key variables that have come to shape the political and social-economic landscapes of the Middle East.

3. Participants will acquire knowledge about the relevant key concepts and definitions

One 4,000 word essay (60%) and one three-hour exam (40%).

There is no single prescribed text for the course. However, the books listed below provide a solid introductory background to the course.

A. Hourani, P. S. Khoury, and M.C. Wilson (eds.), The Modern Middle East, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993.

Nikki R. Keddie, Modern Iran:  Roots and Results of Revolution, New Haven:  Yale University Press, 2003.

Amin Saikal, The Rise and Fall of the Shah: Iran from Autocracy to Religious Rule, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2009.

D. Yergin, The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power, New York: A Touchstone Book, 1992.